   President Barack Obama has admitted that his failure to pass "common sense
   gun safety laws" in the US is the greatest frustration of his presidency.

   In an interview with the BBC, Mr Obama said it was "distressing" not to
   have made progress on the issue "even in the face of repeated mass
   killings".

   He vowed to keep trying, but the BBC's North America editor Jon Sopel said
   the president did not sound very confident.

   However, Mr Obama said race relations had improved during his presidency.

   Hours after the interview, a gunman opened fire at a cinema in the US
   state of Louisiana, killing two people and injuring several others before
   shooting himself.

   In a wide-ranging interview, President Obama also said:

     * The UK must stay in the EU to have influence on the world stage
     * He is confident the Iran nuclear deal will be passed by Congress
     * Syria needs a political solution in order to defeat the Islamic State
       group
     * He would speak "bluntly" against corruption and human rights
       violations in Kenya
     * He would defend his advocacy of gay rights following protests in Kenya
     * Despite racial tensions, the US is becoming more diverse and more
       tolerant

   Read the full transcript of his interview

   Mr Obama lands in Kenya later on Friday for his first visit since becoming
   president.

   But with just 18 months left in power, he said gun control was the area
   where he has been "most frustrated and most stymied" since coming to power
   in 2009.

   "If you look at the number of Americans killed since 9/11 by terrorism,
   it's less than 100. If you look at the number that have been killed by gun
   violence, it's in the tens of thousands," Mr Obama said.

   Gun control campaigners protest in McPhearson Square in Washington DC - 25
   April 2013 The president said he would continue fighting for greater gun
   control laws

   "For us not to be able to resolve that issue has been something that is
   distressing," he added.

   Mr Obama has pushed for stricter gun control throughout his presidency but
   has been unable to secure any significant changes to the laws.

   After nine African-American churchgoers were killed in South Carolina in
   June, he admitted "politics in this town" meant there were few options
   available.

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Analysis: Jon Sopel, BBC News, Washington

   President Barack Obama participates in an interview with Jon Sopel of BBC
   in the Roosevelt Room of the White House - 23 July 2015

   Nine months ago, the president seemed like a spent force, after taking a
   beating in the midterm elections, during which members of his own party
   were reluctant to campaign on his record.

   But the man sat before me today was relaxed and confident, buoyed by a
   string of "wins" on healthcare, Cuba and Iran, after bitter and ongoing
   battles with his many critics.

   The only body swerve the president performed was when I asked him how many
   minds he had changed on the Iran nuclear deal after an intense sell aimed
   at Gulf allies and members of US Congress who remain implacably opposed.

   There was a momentary flicker across the president's face as if to say
   "You think you got me?" before his smile returned and he proceeded to talk
   about how Congress would come round.

   But notably, he did not give a direct answer to that question, which
   leaves me with the impression that he has persuaded precisely zero.

   Five things we learned from Obama interview

   The presidential body swerve

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   On race relations, Mr Obama said recent concerns around policing and mass
   incarcerations were "legitimate and deserve intense attention" but
   insisted progress had been made.

   Children growing up during the eight years of his presidency "will have a
   different view of race relations in this country and what's possible," he
   said.

   "There are going to be tensions that arise. But if you look at my
   daughters' generation, they have an attitude about race that's entirely
   different than even my generation."

   Talking about how he was feeling after his recent successes, he said
   "every president, every leader has strengths and weaknesses".

   "One of my strengths is I have a pretty even temperament. I don't get too
   high when it's high and I don't get too low when it's low," he said.

   Customer looks at Obama shirts at a stall in Nairobi's Kibera slums, 23
   July 2015 Kenya is getting ready to welcome the US president

Kenya trip

   Mr Obama was speaking to the BBC at the White House before departing for
   Kenya.

   His father was Kenyan and the president is expected to meet relatives in
   Nairobi.

   Mr Obama has faced criticism in the country after the US legalised gay
   marriage. However, in his interview, the president said he would not fall
   silent on the issue.

   "I am not a fan of discrimination and bullying of anybody on the basis of
   race, on the basis of religion, on the basis of sexual orientation or
   gender," he said.

   The president also admitted that some African governments, including
   Kenya's, needed to improve their records on human rights and democracy.
   However, he defended his decision to engage with and visit those
   governments.

   "Well, they're not ideal institutions. But what we found is, is that when
   we combined blunt talk with engagement, that gives us the best opportunity
   to influence and open up space for civil society."

   Mr Obama will become the first US president to address the African Union
   when he travels on to Ethiopia on Sunday.
